Small but mighty: Regional orchestras hit the right notes

In spite of the challenges, it's impressive how many small orchestras are putting on high-quality concerts as well as reaching out into communities with classes and talks, competitions and other musical programs.

"You have to compete with so many other forms of entertainment today," said Letitia Stevens, the former executive director of the now-shuttered NSO. She’s the manager of marketing and administration at Boston Baroque.

It is a challenge faced by regional orchestras in cities and towns throughout eastern Massachusetts, from Hopkinton, Milford, Westborough and Framingham to Concord, Lexington and Waltham.

In fact, it's impressive how many purveyors of live classical music are still putting on high-quality concerts, as well as reaching out into communities with classes and talks, competitions and other musical programs.

"We're doing all right," said Paul Surapine, the founder and artistic director of Claflin Hill Music in Milford, which has an orchestra, chamber group and concert band. "But I don't think any regional orchestra would dare to say they're doing great."

The reason for the Newton Symphony Orchestra's demise was twofold, according to Stevens: inadequate funding and a lack of new board members to replace retiring ones. To expand and maintain an audience, she says, musical organizations need to spend about a third of their funds on marketing. "The NSO couldn't afford to advertise in all the places it needed to," she said, adding that "a board needs to be renewed every few decades to tap into new fundraising resources."

Newton has another classical music group, though, the New Philharmonia Orchestra. The "New Phil" not only performs concerts but also runs a host of outreach programs, including free family-oriented concerts, music appreciation classes for both children and seniors, discounts for subscribers at local restaurants, and a "petting zoo," where children learn about and handle musical instruments.

Oversaturation is another challenge for orchestras, especially those closer to Boston, with its many musical offerings both professional and nonprofessional. "There are just so many ticket buyers, donors and corporate sponsors," said Susan Randazzo, executive director of Indian Hill Music, based in Littleton.

Like many other directors of classical music groups, Randazzo is active in the League of American Orchestras, which offers support for and advice on sustaining live classical music in the 21st century. The organization produces guides and assessment tools and holds meetings and conferences on topics such as "Board Diversity and Inclusion," "Essentials of Orchestra Management" and "Responsibilities of Nonprofit Chief Executives."

And there's the overall economy to deal with. Like other nonprofits, classical music groups feel the pinch of a tighter economy. "Giving lags the economy - and when there's a revival, the giving can still be weak," said Randazzo.

Indian Hill Music Foundation, which performs in the Littleton High School auditorium, is thriving in part because it is associated with a large music school, with 75 teachers and more than 1,000 students. And it owns the building that houses its offices and the school.

Page 2 of 3 -
Like most regional orchestras, Indian Hill also has "music philanthropy" programs, to gain wider exposure. They hold free concerts in adjoining towns, give away free tickets to nonprofits to use in their fundraising efforts, and provide scholarships for students. One most-unusual project is the Threshold Singers, small groups of singers who perform for people who are sick and dying. "It's been well received," said Randazzo.

But the not-so-secret key to success for any live-music group, whether amateur orchestras or the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is cultivating loyal patrons.

"It's all about donors - especially major donors," said Randazzo. "We work hard at engaging our audience." Indian Hill has "prelude" dinners, pre-concert talks and a free "encore" café after performances. "A music program can create community, it can be an economic engine for a community," she said.

The Metrowest Symphony Orchestra, a mix of amateur and professional musicians based in Framingham, recently held its annual holiday concert of works by Haydn, Saint-Saens and holiday favorites. It also puts on an annual Young Artist's Competition in January, with the winner performing in a concert in March.

For 22 years, the MSO was the Greater Marlborough Symphony Orchestra. In 2002, it changed its name and developed ties with Hopkinton High School, where it is Symphony in Residence, and Keefe Technical School in Framingham.

The technical school wanted to bring more music into its environment. "It's gone a long way to helping us out financially," said Ken Gardner, the MSO's treasurer and tuba player, referring to their connections with the schools. The MSO gets a break on fees for rehearsal and performance spaces. Such new alliances also help because there have been fewer corporate donations in the past few years, according to Gardner.

Another popular orchestra west of Boston was founded almost "by accident." In 1996, Paul Surapine, a musician in the Milford Concert Band, a professional ensemble that has performed summer concerts since 1946, wanted to start a winter concert series.

"I wasn't planning to start an orchestra, just a concert band with winter programming," Surapine said. He soon realized, though, that a concert band wouldn't be as viable as an orchestra. He had already been contracting orchestras in the Worcester area, and in 2000 he took the plunge and founded Claflin Hill Music "sort of by accident."

Today, the Claflin Hill Foundation has a symphony orchestra, with concerts in the Grand Ballroom in Milford Town Hall, a chamber series, children's concerts and bandstand summer concerts. In 2005, it also hooked up with the Metrowest Youth Symphony Orchestra in Framingham, placing professional musicians in rehearsals with young musicians.

Claflin Hill also produces an occasional opera or concert of operatic arias, with one planned for March 2013. According to Surapine, the opera tradition goes back a century in Milford, when the town's large Italian population supported an opera house that hosted the likes of Enrico Caruso and Ezio Pinza.

Page 3 of 3 - One patron of the former Newton Symphony Orchestra, Bobby Cole, a retired voice coach, attended concerts with her husband Bernie for nine years. She was disappointed to hear that the NSO had folded, but not surprised.

Yet some are hopeful for the future of live classical music. "An orchestra can resurge a few years later," said Indian Hill's Randazzo. "People thought it was dispensable, but discover they really want it back."